Rat bites cover baby found dead in her crib in Westwego

CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEJoe Stevens stands in his driveway in Westwego on Thursday, where his neighbor, back right, found their infant bitten by rats. His neighbor, who didn't have a phone, knocked on his door early in the morning so that he could call for help.

A 3-month-old Westwego girl covered in rat bites was found dead in her home Thursday and authorities are trying to determine if the bites played a role in her death.

Natalie Hill was found shortly after 7:30 a.m. in her crib by paramedics responding to an emergency call.

When paramedics and police officers arrived, they found the child's father standing in front of the house in the 700 block of Central Avenue, yelling that his daughter was dead inside, said Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch Sr.

Munch said officers found the child with what appeared to be hundreds of bite marks on her body and severe damage to her nose and right leg. The officers determined that rats or other small rodents had done the damage, from prints left behind on the bloody sheets in the crib.

The parents were identified by neighbors as Robby Hill and Casey Laine.

The Jefferson Parish coroner's office has not determined the baby's cause of death. Munch said it is possible the child may have been dead before the rats attacked her because the girl's parents did not report hearing her scream. The adults were in the front room of the home before the baby was found, he said.

Infant dies in Westwego

Munch said several of his officers were deeply troubled by what they saw.

"This was not something you see every day," said Munch, who could not recall a similar case in decades of law enforcement.

Neighbors said rodents have been a problem in the area for some time and that rats have gotten into several homes.

Annette Stevens, who lives next door to the child's family, said the girl's parents always took good care of her and her siblings. She said the family was cordial and seemed happy.

"They never neglected the children, they were always clean and well-fed," Stevens said.

However, she said rodents were often seen running through the streets, and she had seen Natalie's father outside laying rat traps in the past. Other neighbors said the city of Westwego provides rat poison to them to deal with rodents in the street.

Mayor John Shaddinger said no code enforcement violations had been reported at the home, and there were no condemnation hearings pending as had been reported by other news agencies. Shaddinger said Westwego does provide residents with poison on a monthly basis if they come to City Hall and report a rodent problem. However, he said he was not aware that there was a major rodent problem in that neighborhood and his employees will be working to address that situation.

"We'll take whatever measures are necessary to make sure the welfare of the citizens is taken care of," said Shaddinger, who stressed that any residents who notice a rodent problem in their community should contact the city.

Allen Powell II can be reached at apowell@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3793.